However, agenda item 6 is a surprise which will leave auDA members with more questions than answers.

6. Special resolution- Clause 18.2(d) Constitution of the Board to increase the number of Independent Directors.

… the notice goes on to explain:

Agenda Item 6- Special resolution to adjust Clause 18.2(d) of the Constitution
As recommended by the Cameron Ralph report on the governance of auDA which was adopted by the Board of auDA on 10 October 2016, it is proposed to amend clause 18.2(d) of the Constitution to increase the number of Independent Directors permissible on the Board from three to four. This will allow for an expanded mix of skills and diversity on the Board, and improve adherence to good governance principles. The amended clause is below and a marked-up version of the proposed amendment to the Constitution is available here.

18.2 Constitution of the Board

The Board shall comprise:

a. four (4) persons elected by the Supply Class Members;

b. four (4) persons elected by the Demand Class Members;

c. the CEO of auDA as a non-voting member of the board; and

d. not more than three four (3) (4) Independent Directors appointed by the elected Directors, for terms not exceeding two (2) years each.

“Independent Director” means a director appointed by the elected Directors, who is a person who:
a. holds no posts in, or is otherwise associated with, auDA, the Registry Operator or any Registrar; and
b. does not have any relationship with auDA or any other person that could, in the opinion of the elected Directors, materially interfere with:
i. the exercise of objective, unfettered and independent judgement by the person; or
ii. the person’s ability to act in the best interests of auDA;
(Inserted by Special Resolution, 14 August 2006)

Therefore, given auDA’s inadequate provision of information to support this significant change I will vote against this constitutional change.

Tough road ahead

I want the .au domain name space to continue to:

“do what it says on the tin”

When you go to a .au website, you can expect that the domain name relates to the product, service, or information on offer. If it doesn’t, you have reliable, responsive complaints mechanisms available to you and rules by which they can be enforced. .au is Australia’s home on the Internet and is widely recognised as such. As an Australian business, community, organisation or individual, you can rest assured that there is a place at .au for you.

To continue to meet this high standard requires a good mix of:

experienced people,

thorough processes and

robust technology.

The rationale for writing this post is because of the significant loss in experienced people at the helm of auDA.

Competition: different ways to navigate the Internet (e.g. search engines, new top level domains, apps, social media)

Growth: flat

Does .au policy need to evolve to meet the needs of all .au stakeholders?

Discuss in the comments section below:

Questions & Answers

Question: “You’ve been on the board for the past 14 years, so you’re not quite an outsider looking to be newly elected. What will another term on the Board enable you to do? How does that compare to bringing in new voices into the organisation?”

JR: “To have auDA members re-elect me for 7 terms is humbling and I’ve never taken that for granted.

I have played an active role in delivering significant change during those years including: domain name policy, competition model, domain slamming, and domain monetisation.

The reason I’m standing again is to seek the opportunity to continue to be an energetic and entrepreneurial contributor to the .au domain name space.

One of the key issues which the next auDA board must consider is whether or not to open up .au for direct registrations. This will require a good understanding of policy, stakeholders and how the digital economy is evolving. I believe I tick these three boxes.

That’s not to say new blood on the board is not important, the current board does have a cross section of directors with a good balance of experience and tenure.

I am very passionate about seeing .au succeed locally and globally.

I expect this to be a hotly contested election in demand class – which is a good thing in itself.”

Domain names are essential parts of the Internet’s functionality. Australian domain names provide the platform for Australia’s online economy; now worth 3.6% of Australian GDP. Josh Rowe is a current director of auDA seeking re-election. Josh has over 19 years experience with the Internet. Josh is an active participant in the debate of Australian and global domain name governance, engaged through a variety of online and offline forums. Josh participated in the 2010 Names Policy Review Panel. Josh is a staunch consumer advocate and has completed research on the usability of domain names; www.domainusability.com.

I am contactable directly via email josh@email.nu and also more than happy meet in person to discuss my views (I work in the Melbourne CBD).

If you’re an auDA Demand Class member and wish to vote for me, here’s how to do so:

1. Vote by Fax or Post using a Proxy

For Demand Class Members who cannot attend the meeting but still wish to vote for me, a Proxy Form (PDF) with instructions is available. If you have any trouble accessing the proxy form, please email jacki.osullivan@auda.org.au.

Registrant – An organisation or entity that licences the use of a domain name. For example; Westpac Banking Corporation is the registrant for the westpac.com.au domain name. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is the registrant for the irctc.co.in domain name.

Reseller – Retail domain names to registrants based on any domain name policies in place. Resellers sell on behalf of registrars. For example; SnapSite resells domain name licences on behalf of domain name registrar Planet Domain. NameCheap resells domain name licences on behalf of domain name registrar eNom.

Registrar – Retail domain names to registrants based on any domain name policies in place. For example; Melbourne IT sells domain name licences for .com.au, net.au, org.au, asn.au, and id.au. GoDaddy sells domain name licences for .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info.

Registry – Assign and maintain a database of domain names on the Internet. For example; AusRegistry is the domain name registry for com.au, net.au, id.au, asn.au, org.au, gov.au and edu.au. VeriSign is the domain name registry for .com and .net.

Regulator – Set policy and administrate domain name space. For example; ICANN is the domain name regulator for the ‘root’ domain name space. auDA is the domain name regulator for the .au domain name space.

I am standing for re-election to .au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA), which is the policy authority and industry self-regulatory body for the Australian .au domain name space.

Domain names are essential parts of the Internet’s functionality and must be managed as a critical piece of Internet infrastructure for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Domain names are the user interface that allows consumer to transact online. Australian domain names provide the platform for Australia’s online economy; now worth 3.6% of Australian GDP.

I have over 19 years experience with the Internet and deriving commercial benefits from its use. In my working career, I have delivered a road range of achievements across business and technology roles, from detailed analysis through to strategic development. My corporate work experience includes 10+ years successfully operating in leadership roles within a blue chip organisation. I am a director of key Internet industry bodies and have obtained a postgraduate qualification in eBusiness and undergraduate qualification in Computer Science.

I’m an active participant in the debate of Australian and global domain name governance, engaged through a variety of online and offline forums. My original passion for domain names came through absolute frustration with the restrictive .au domain name policy in 1999. I joined the very first .au domain name policy review panel and was part of the sweeping domain name policy changes that allowed much more flexible registration of .au domain names.

I am a staunch consumer advocate. In the past, rogue domain name operators used deceptive techniques to lure un-expecting domain name registrants to register domain names they probably didn’t really need. At my own personal risk, I took on these rogue operators to expose their behaviour. Together with legal action undertaken by local and international domain name regulators the end result was that this behaviour has all but ceased and no longer causes Australian businesses to waste their time and money.

I have completed research on the usability of domain names; www.domainusability.com. The domain name system is not perfect for end users, so I wrote a 35k word thesis about it and then presented it to policy makers from around the globe at an international conference on domain names. There’s an 18 page PowerPoint version of my thesis too if you can’t stomach 35k words.

Some of auDA’s achievements during my last term as an auDA Demand Class director include: